The Nature Podcast brings you the best stories from the world of science each week. We cover everything from astronomy to zoology, highlighting the most exciting research from each issue of the Nature journal. We meet the scientists behind the results and provide in-depth analysis from Nature 's journalists and editors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode: 00:24 The quest to count the Amazon's insects 07:31 The orcas that exploded a sunfish The Guardian: Orcas seen ramming prey so hard it explodes may be playing game Tiktok: Orcas vs sunfish Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode: 00:45 Ancient structures hidden beneath the Amazon’s canopy Research article: Pärssinen et al. 09:15 Research Highlights Nature: It’ll grow on you: live fungi formed into sustainable fashion Physical Review Fluids: Gourmandie et al. 11:48 Tiny fossils represent the earliest-known squid ancestor Research article: Song et al. Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nature staff discuss the young but deadly dinosaur kings, the prowess of ancient Egyptian princesses, and how London is becoming the world’s AI safety capital. 00:34 London is transforming into an AI-safety hub Nature: A global capital for AI safety is emerging — and it’s not in Silicon Valley 05:52 Bones reveal that ancient Egyptian princesses weren’t pampered Scientific American: Ancient Egyptian princesses were ‘powerful’ weapon users, new analysis suggests 9:30 T. rex was born ready to kill Discover magazine: Fossil Evidence Indicates Baby T. rex Were Tiny, but Deadly Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
00:45 The discovery of a moon-like object in a distant star system Research article: Hoy et al. 10:34 Research Highlights Nature: Moving floors keep buildings from swaying with the wind Nature: Wearable sensors on the face are invisible to the eye 13:07 A discovery of a new type of rare transmissible-cancer Research article: Curd et al. Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode: 00:24 A sweet discovery near the Milky Way’s centre Nature: First ‘true sugar’ molecule found in space — offering hints to life’s origins 05:05 Mathematical texts give insights into Maya mathematical prowess Nature: Mathematics formula found on Maya wall rivals insights of ancient masters Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
00:45 The secret scent behind a naked mole-rat's rule Research article: Khallaf et al. 08:34 Research Highlights Nature: Pair of ‘super-puff’ planets are lighter than candyfloss Nature: Alpine crossing took a heavy toll on Hannibal’s elephants and troops 10:59 The psychology behind a brand-new board game: the behaviour of beginners Research article: Collins et al. Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode: 00:29 Dolly the sheep’s 30-year legacy Metro: Dolly the sheep at 30: The clone that changed science (and celebrity petdom) Nature: From cloning to gene-editing: the enduring legacy of Dolly the sheep 05:20 The ocean floor caught in the act of splitting at the seams Nature: Ocean floor witnessed splitting apart for the first time — releasing lava Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode: 00:45 A neutron detector could sniff out a secret space nuke Research article: Danagoulian 11:52 Research Highlights Nature: Volcanic magma sculpts eerie domes on the sea floor Nature: Clues to the sloth’s sloth found in its genome 14:18 How indigenous knowledge in the Amazon could disappear Research article: Cámara-Leret et al. Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, we speak with science journalist Rowan Hooper, whose book Togetherness: Symbiosis and the Hidden Story of Life's Greatest Collaborations takes a deep-dive into the world of co-operation between organisms. In the book, he argues that collaboration in nature has often been overlooked in favour of competition, and that organisms working together have played a vital role in making the world the way it is. Togetherness: Symbiosis and the Hidden Story of Life's Greatest Collaborations Rowan Hooper Fern Press (2026) Music supplied by SPD/Triple Scoop Music/Getty Images Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Peptides — short chains of amino acids — have become huge online. The popularity of these molecules has skyrocketed and they are now the latest cure-all trend on social media. But what does the science say about their effectiveness? Animal research suggests that that some of these experimental peptides hold promise, but evidence they work in people is lacking. This is an audio version of our Feature: Is the peptide craze backed by science? The promise behind the hype Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nature staff discuss how apes share a rhythm of laughter, and how AI use may degrade skills in medicine and computer science. 00:32 Early evidence suggests that AI use causes skills to atrophy Nature: Is AI ruining our skills? Early results are in — and they’re not good 06:42 Humans and chimps share a laugh Nature: Oo oo, ha ha: why humans and great apes giggle alike when tickled Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode: 00:46 How sensitive information can be gleaned from medical AIs Research article: Knolle et al. Correction: The story about medical AI-data privacy incorrectly stated that the number of individuals at high risk of a membership inference attack increases as training-dataset size grows. It should have stated that the increase in risk occurs when the AI model increases in capacity and size. 11:31 Research Highlights Nature: A long-lived butterfly’s secret to graceful ageing Nature: It slices! It dices! Sashimi-Bot handles seafood with ease 13:57 Across the Universe, galaxies clump together more than physicists thought they should Research article: Labini & Galoppo Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nature staff discuss preliminary data on the effects of GLP-1 drugs on male fertility plus a two-year trial of a brain-computer interface. 00:18 Brain-computer interface makes a life-changing impact Nature: At-home brain implant gives man with motor neuron disease his daily life back 05:39 The possible benefits of obesity drugs on testosterone Nature: The latest benefit of obesity drugs: boosting testosterone and sperm quality Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode: 00:45 Ancient evidence of deadly plague outbreaks Research article: Macleod et al. 12:33 Research Highlights Nature: Bones of Iron Age skeleton were whittled into tools Nature: Giant crustacean of the deep sea steals a trick from bacteria 14:52 A prototype atom interferometer Research article: Baynham et al. Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode: 00:37 Evidence that Stonehenge's Altar Stone travelled by glacier BBC Science Focus: We may have just cracked one of Stonehenge's greatest mysteries 05:44 Fossilized faeces reveal DNA from ancient ecosystem Nature: Ancient ground squirrels feasted on carcasses like ‘zombies of the Pleistocene’ Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode: 00:46 A giant, ancient whale necropolis Research article: Peng et al. News & Views: A vast whale necropolis has been found 08:52 Research Highlights Nature: Babies’ birth weight improves with help of payments to parents Nature: Earliest signs of vision recorded in ancient sea-floor tracks 11:11 Turning plant material into chemical building-blocks Research article: Mains et al. Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode: 00:23 Fossil evidence that spinosaurs had an aquatic lifestyle Science: Some spinosaurs cried salty tears to thrive in brackish waters 04:57 The explosive immune cells that kill in minutes Nature: Bang! Exploding immune cells splatter potent toxins everywhere Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode: 00:57 How your smartphone’s camera could measure your heart rate Research article: Liao et al. 08:55 Research Highlights Nature: A star gone rogue tears through the Galaxy Nature: Gold keeps glittering courtesy of surface chemistry 11:04 Should you try something new in a restaurant? Maths has the answer Nature: Feynman solved the ‘restaurant dilemma’ 50 years ago — now a study confirms his mathematics Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode: 00:21 When witnesses identify suspects from police line-ups, confidence matters Nature: Memory on trial: the new science of when to trust eyewitness testimony 07:15 Registered Reports: how this ‘double peer review’ process could benefit scientists and their results Nature: Nature is expanding Registered Reports to all the fields in which we publish Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On 17 May the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an ongoing Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Centred on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, the outbreak has seen mounting numbers of suspected cases and deaths linked to the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus. In this podcast we hear what's currently known about the outbreak and the efforts of clinicians, researchers and public health officials to halt its progress. Nature: Ebola outbreak is a global health emergency: what happens next Nature: Race begins to trial Ebola drugs amid current outbreak Nature: Ebola outbreak spirals out of control: how might it have started? Nature: Will this Ebola outbreak be the biggest yet? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Observed July 30, 2026.
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